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The newly launched LEAP Center at Pennsylvania College of Technology, which helps first-year and transfer students "learn, evolve, adapt and prepare" for rewarding futures, is already fulfilling its promise.
Headquartered on the first floor of the Student & Administrative Services Center, a convenient gateway to a number of enrollment-related offices at Penn College, the department embodies Penn College's philosophy that a strong beginning leads to students' long-term success.
"Today's students are looking for a sense of belonging and expect a connected experience at college. The LEAP Center's mission is to be a cohesive and collaborative partner with students in their first year," director Christie Bing Kracker said.
Seven LEAP advisers work with newcomers' academic liaisons to help provide a smooth collegiate experience. The center also plans a series of workshops on such vital student topics as self-care, study skills, test-taking strategies and time management.
"The creation of the LEAP Center is another testament to Penn College's commitment to student achievement," said Carolyn R. Strickland, vice president for enrollment management and associate provost. "Our goal for student retention is to provide support structures that help students navigate obstacles and challenges that are known to impede their success."
"We want families to know that we recognize the challenges that students face when entering and throughout college, and we are committed, through initiatives like the LEAP Center, to supporting academic success," Strickland said.
The center mainly offers a foundational helping hand extended to those who may not even know they need one.
"Best practice indicates we can no longer view students through a purely academic lens and that we must see them as a whole person with complex lives, responsibilities and roles," Bing Kracker said. "Penn College understands that whatever is happening in a student's life can weigh heavily on their academic success."
For Bubba N. Canning, who transferred to Penn College after studying sports management at Neumann University, the center's accessibility is a welcoming signpost along an occasionally rocky road - making the difference between giving up and soldiering on.
"It wasn't easy at first," the New Jersey, resident said of his passage to Penn College. "But my roommate, podmates and my LEAP adviser (Lizze R. Winters), made it 10 times easier."
He took a general campus tour and considered a construction major, then "went home and reconfigured myself" and looked at other possibilities. He returned with an eye toward graphic design "when all of a sudden, I got a text from one of the advisers saying there was an electrical tour available at 2."
He weighed his options - two-year degrees in electrical construction or electrical technology - and chose the latter, submitting his application and getting accepted into the major.
Fast-forward to "move-in day" on Aug. 15.
"I didn't know what to expect because everything was still fairly new to me," he said. The first week of class, however, turned into a rough patch, as he began to second-guess himself and started thinking about transferring to a different major.
"That's where Lizze came in and pretty much saved me. I met with her twice, and she really helped me out a lot in making my decision to stay with it," he said. "Also one of my professors, Mr. (Jon W.) Hart (instructor of electrical technologies and occupations), helped me and made me feel so much better about sticking with my degree."
Despite the roadblocks, he now considers his transition a success.
Morgan T. Bartholomew, a plastics and polymer engineering technology student from Etters, admits to being nervous upon arrival.
"College is nothing like high school; you are entering a whole new area, with all new people and new classes," she said. "When walking through the doors for the first time on move-in day, my stomach was filled with butterflies, as I was excited to start my next journey at my new home for the next four years."
She said she was happy to learn about the LEAP program and is very glad the campus helps steer students in the right direction. She was unsure when to reach out to connect, "but then, during my First Year Experience course, one of our very first assignments was to schedule a meeting with our LEAP adviser. The timing was perfect!"
She said her LEAP adviser, Allison M. Savage, made her feel very comfortable, shared a lot of great advice and was able to answer all of her questions.
"She was willing to listen and provide the guidance that I was looking for," Bartholomew said. "I will definitely be reaching out to her throughout the year, and I would strongly encourage every student to make an appointment with their LEAP adviser - even if they are unsure of exactly what they are in need of."
Among other first-year assessments, Walter J. Heiser, a heating, ventilation & air conditioning design technology major from Easton, found everyone at the LEAP Center to be helpful and considerate.
"All in all, the LEAP Center has proved to be a beneficial and productive resource, and I could not have asked for a better first experience," he said.
For more information, visit www.pct.edu/LEAP, email leapcenter@pct.edu or call 570-320-5228.